Wilderness Walks with Ray Mears

Britain's wildest places. In this edition, Ray follows the River Derwent to the breathtaking Borrowdale valley - home to ancient rainforests and some very special wildlife.

Ray visits Galloway and explores the riches of the stunning South West of Scotland coast and the hidden treasures that live in Britain’s largest forest park - including the rare and elusive pine marten. Having tracked a pair of the mustelids through Galloway Forest Park with dogs, Ray is wowed by their presence when he meets them after they are brought down from a tree. He says: “That has got to be one of the neatest things I have ever seen in my travels. Pine martens are very special, they are so difficult to see, and to see those young like that, what a privilege. Quite wonderful.”

Ray is in Snowdonia where he finds out how in the rugged landscapes around Britain's highest mountain forms of wildlife survive against all the odds, and can only be seen in this very special part of Wales.

In episode two, Ray visits Thames Path where he journeys by canoe along the mighty River Thames from Oxfordshire to London, finding kingfishers and water voles along the way, and camping in one of the world’s most precious and exclusive woodlands. Ray reveals an unusual use for the horse chestnuts he finds lining the river bank, as he navigates the river in his canoe. He says: “The leaves of this tree if you make them wet and tear them up and squeeze the juice out of them, give you soap which you can use to wash your hands, very effective, well it's good soap.”

Ray returns to one of his favourite and wildest places in Britain, Dartmoor, travelling across granite peaks and mysterious oak forests, searching for the country’s largest ground beetle and the elusive wood warbler. He also visits High Willhays, the highest point in the National Park, and explains its rugged appeal.